Sweet October
by Jack'N'SallyGal
Summary: The flash went off. Lily kissing James. James kissing Lily. Sirius, Marlene and Remus, stunned. A full common room in the background. Harry finds a photo. Halloween 21 years apart.


**_October 31, 1977  
Gryffindor Common Room_**

* * *

It was meant to be a joke.

When Lily Evans arrived in the common room, adjusting the black spectacles perched on her nose and rumpling her short, already mussed black hair, some of the activity died down. Dancing halted, conversations trailed off, and the Head Girl tried for a smile as she smoothed the Quidditch uniform over her slight frame.

Remus Lupin, who made an exceptional Hippogriff, complete with a majestic plume of feathers, said it best when he laughed and then promptly slapped a hand over his mouth.

When the Head Boy made his appearance a moment later, all activity ceased entirely. Hardly bothered by the staring, James flicked a lock of red hair away from his eyes and continued toward the group. He was wearing a lovely blue blouse with a beautiful, intricate floral pattern. Like Lily's Quidditch ensemble, it had been transfigured to fit his shoulders and then taper in at the waist of the bell bottom jeans that he had borrowed.

"Are you…" Sirius looked between the pair, laughing outright when he noticed the Head Girl badge pinned to the blouse his mate was wearing.

"How did you manage to keep this secret?" Marlene McKinnon demanded, laughing at the pair they made.

James shrugged. He casually threw his arm around Lily's shoulder and she rolled her eyes, ruffling her hair in the same way that James was known for.

The gesture wasn't lost on him, and he was grinning when he said,

"It was Evans' idea to keep it hush-hush. Said she wanted to know what it was like to be the fittest bloke in Hogwarts."

"And James was itching to try on my new blouse. Couldn't deny him that."

The crowd laughed and began to wander away. The music and dancing resumed. Students wandered over to a never-ending table of sweets, taking their pick of Honeydukes finest.

It was Peter who produced a camera. And what happened next was entirely Sirius' fault.

"Come on you two. Give us a kiss for the camera," he demanded loudly.

The arm that James had casually placed around Lily tightened momentarily. He felt her stiffen under his hold and made to drop his arm, effectively freeing her to walk away or hex Sirius' bollocks off.

"We don't have-"

And then she was kissing him. She turned into his side, her green gaze flicking up to stare at his lips before she stood on her tip toes and yanked the collar of the blouse so his lips aligned with hers.

It was ridiculous. _They_ were ridiculous.

Lily placed a hand on his cheek, the small contact of her cool fingers on his skin sending a delicious jolt through his body. Desperate for more, he found both hands trailing up to clutch at her short, ridiculous crop of hair.

The flash went off. Lily kissing James. James kissing Lily. Sirius, Marlene and Remus, stunned. A full common room in the background.

* * *

**October 1998**  
**Home of Andromeda Tonks**

* * *

"Hello, you."

Ginny Weasley poked her head into the parlor, smiling at the sight that greeted her. Her boyfriend was surrounded by boxes. Most of them were dusty, nearly broken down as he picked through the assortment of items scattered in front of him on the floor. He appeared to be puzzling over a scrap of parchment, squinting in an effort to make out the jagged handwriting.

He smiled when she greeted him, his smile widening when she made her way through the cluttered room and dropped onto the floor beside him.

"Hello," he said quietly, the bit of parchment momentarily forgotten.

"Hi," she returned softly.

He gave her a proper greeting, then, his arm going around her waist as he pulled her closer for a kiss. They sat that way for some time, with his arm around his waist and her head resting on his shoulder.

"What do you have there?"

"Not sure. Looks like some sort of note, but I can't make it out."

They were nearing the end of the box when Ron appeared, followed closely by Hermione, who was shaking her head at whatever he'd said before they entered the room.

"Dinner's ready," he announced.

"Andromeda's made a whole spread."

"Give us a minute and we'll be there," Harry remarked, a bit distracted.

"Better hurry," Hermione teased gently.

"Ronald already has his eye on dessert."

Ginny assured them that she would get Harry to the table, even if she had to pry him away from the boxes with brute force. Hermione and Ron nodded, understanding, and left the room slowly, holding hands as they made their way to the dining room.

"Ginny.."

She glanced back, startled when Harry produced an envelope from the bottom of the box. He shook it lightly and photographs of all different sizes began spilling onto the floor.

Boyfriend and girlfriend glanced at each other before turning to the photos and spreading them on the floor. Most of them were taken at Hogwarts. They recognized the boys dormitory, several shots of the Gryffindor Common Room.

There were more of the Quidditch pitch, a blurry, distant photo of the Shrieking Shack.

"Harry," Ginny snagged a photo that had slid nearly out of reach and returned to his side.

"It's your parents."

The photo was dated October 31, 1977 in small, precise handwriting. In the photo, James Potter looked down at Lily Evans before she brought their faces together for a kiss. The common room was decorated for Halloween with singing pumpkins and eerie orange lights that cast a warm glow over his parents as they broke apart, revealing three of their friends who were clearly shocked by the kiss.

"That's Remus," Ginny pointed him out, standing next to a man with shaggy black hair who looked completely thrown off by the events preceding the picture, and then broke into a pleased grin.

"And Sirius," Harry said quietly.

Harry traced an outline around the figures in the photo, fascinated by the events that looped in front of his eyes. He brought a hand up to rub his scar, but was glad that it was a force of habit rather than due to any pain.

After several moments of taking the photo in, Harry placed it on a nearby table. He stood, offering his hand to Ginny, and pulled her to her feet. He placed a kiss on each of her cheeks, taking his time, before brushing a kiss across her lips.

She placed a hand on his chest, her other hand reaching for his and holding it tightly.

They shared a quiet moment of understanding, each of them thinking about the ghosts who were never too far from their thoughts, especially these days.

"Ready for dinner?"

Ginny nodded and they quit the room, content to temporarily part from one set of loved ones in order to join another in the next room.


End file.
